At the start of the year, a rumor circulated within the pro wrestling world that Dwayne Johnson was to come back and take on his cousin Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39. Instead, fans witnessed the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion going toe-to-toe with Cody Rhodes, who, after being sidelined with a pectoral muscle tear, made a comeback at Royal Rumble 2023.

Five months after the marquee event at the SoFi stadium in Los Angeles, Johnson has shared several behind-the-scenes secrets, that is likely to break hearts again.

Dwayne Johnson recalls scrapped WrestleMania 39 plans

The People Champion is in Colorado, where the September 15 episode of SmackDown will take place. During his visit, the WWE icon graced the sets of The Pat McAfee Show, where he sat down with the host and others for a chat. Johnson addressed several issues during the interview.

The eight-time WWE Champion said Vince McMahon met his personally to convince him to have a match at WrestleMania 39. He said the WWE President and childhood friend Nick Khan was instrumental in setting up the meeting, which took place in the City of Angels.

“We all flew to LA, we met, we sat, we broke out the Teremana & about an hour later we started talking about the potential of what this match could be. Myself & Roman Reigns headlining WrestleMania at SoFi. We shook hands & we hugged right there & said ‘let’s do this’,” he told McAfee and the other panelists. Johnson also said that the match was locked. But then, it didn’t happen.

This came as a boon for Cody Rhodes, who then went on to replace Johnson and star alongside Reigns in the main event on Night Two at WrestleMania 39 on April 2. It also helped Rhodes set himself up as one of the top guys in the company as he is poised to have a rematch with The Tribal Chief during the next edition of the marquee event.

Read More: ‘It’s Not the Injuries, It’s Not My Schedule’: Dwayne Johnson Breaks Silence on Snubbing WrestleMania 39 Match Against Roman Reigns Despite Being ‘Locked’ by Vince McMahon

However, with Johnson stating that he’s open to fighting Reigns in Philadelphia, will Cody Rhodes’ chances of having a re-match be sabotaged? This is likely to divide opinions in the WWE Universe.

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